Match Preview: Sunderland vs Saints

Get the lowdown ahead of Southampton's trip to face Sunderland in the Premier League, with our comprehensive match preview.

WHAT’S AT STAKE?

After defeat to West Ham United, Southampton head to Sunderland looking to bounce back from their recent run and start to climb the table again.

The sides have already met twice in the current campaign. Jay Rodriguez levelled things up after Jermain Defoe had opened the scoring from the spot in the Premier League, while Sofiane Boufal's stunning strike settled things at St Mary's in the EFL Cup.

Manolo Gabbiadini marked his debut with a superb strike and he is likely to be involved again at the Stadium of Light.

Sunderland remain at the foot of the Premier League table but will be buoyed by their 4-0 success against Crystal Palace at Selhurst Park. All four goals came in the first-half.

Last time out at home, David Moyes’ men held Tottenham Hotspur to a 0-0 draw and will hope to continue their momentum.
TEAM NEWS

Sofiane Boufal against West Ham United

Southampton: Sofiane Boufal will miss the trip to Sunderland, after sustaining an ankle injury against West Ham United.

Manolo Gabbiadini wasted no time in introducing himself to the St Mary’s faithful with a fine strike against West Ham United.

The Italian international latched on to Jay Rodriguez’s through ball before firing past Darren Randolph from an acute angle.

In doing so, he became the 100th scorer for Southampton in the Premier League and he will be bidding to become only the second player to score in their first two Premier League appearances for Saints, with Henri Camara the first in February 2005.

Jermain Defoe is still proving to be prolific in the Premier League, with 14 goals to his name in all competitions.

His first-half double helped Sunderland defeat Crystal Palace and to move level on points with their relegation rivals, as they look to pull away from the foot of the table.

Defoe has scored in each of his last two Premier League appearances against Southampton for Sunderland, with both goals coming away from home. He is now second place in Sunderland’s all-time leading Premier League goalsorers, with 33.

- There hasn’t been a goalless draw between these sides in any competition since March 1978 – each of the last 37 games has seen at least one goal scored.

- Sunderland haven’t kept a clean sheet in any of their last eight Premier League games against the Saints (W1 D5 L2), conceding 16 goals – although half of those came in an 8-0 defeat in October 2014.
NOT AT THE GAME?

Don’t worry if you can’t make it to the Stadium of Light. We’ll be bringing you live updates and free audio commentary via our southamptonfc.com match centre.

Additionally, we’ll have behind-the-scenes content and updates on our various social channels: